Bears Mid-Week Wrap

Insiders NFL Scouts

09/17/2003

Practice notes and team news heading into week three of the 2003 NFL season.

--Defensive end Phillip Daniels takes exception to the notion that the defensive
line isn't doing a good enough job of keeping blockers off middle linebacker
Brian Urlacher. "Everybody's been asking me that, about a lot of
people getting to him, but I didn't see that,' said Daniels, who forced a Daunte Culpepper fumble that the Bears recovered when he sacked the Vikings'
quarterback last Sunday. "I saw Brian make a lot of tackles. He's been moving
around pretty good back there. A lot of times it's not the guys up front, it's
Brian (being) slow at reading some things, and people don't realize
that." Urlacher still has a team-best 24 tackles, but like all
of his teammates, he hasn't made as many big plays as in the past. Daniels
admits part of the reason is that the play of the line could be more
efficient. "Brian's a quick guy, he's a fast guy, he can get to
the ball," Daniels said. "We just have to cover our gaps and he'll make a lot
more plays and then that question won't come up as much."
--With the return to full-contact practice last week of versatile backup
Terrence Metcalf, another young player has been added to the mix. Metcalf
suffered a fractured finger in the preseason opener, but he could eventually
wind up starting at one of the guard spots. "I don't know what
the deal is," Metcalf said. "Whatever the coaches decide they want to do.
Corbin's been playing good, Steve's been playing good. It's whatever. Not my
decision." Metcalf could challenge Lacina at right guard.
However, with Villarrial's return hoped for by early October, any permanent
Metcalf promotion would come at the expense of Edwards, who could be moved back
to backup tackle. But Edwards is gaining confidence in his guard play.
"I think I can play the position," he said. "Whether I get to
stay there, it's not up to me, but I'd like to. I'm not sure what their thinking
is right now with Terrence coming back, whether they'd put him in or move one of
us." Although Metcalf played in nine games last season as a
rookie and had a good training camp, Wylie doesn't sound like he expects him to
make his first NFL start soon, but it could happen before long.
"I have to bring him back slowly because he hasn't done anything," Wylie said.
"You'd like to say, 'Hey, he's going to go right in there,' but you don't know
how it's going to work out. You work with the kid, he's getting better, then he
gets injured and you have to see how he comes back from the injury. He needs to
get in some kind of playing shape, and the only way you get into playing shape
is to play and practice. We have to go through those growing pains before I can
stick him in a game someplace." --RB Adrian Peterson did not
play a down from scrimmage against the Vikings in Week Two because starter
Anthony Thomas broke a 34-yard run on the second play from scrimmage. The plan
is still to alternate Peterson but to stick with the hot hand.
--WR David Terrell caught a 14-yard TD pass in Week Two, but he also had a
brutal drop of a third-down pass that would have kept the Bears on the field but
instead gave the Vikings field position for a TD drive. --SLB
Bryan Knight hasn't made much of an impact in either of the Bears' games and has
trouble holding the point because of his lack of size. --LB
Lance Briggs, who impressed coaches during the preseason with his big hits,
could challenge for Bryan Knight's starting spot on the strong side.